SoftBank invests $225 million in ASI for autonomous construction machinery

SoftBank Group has announced a strategic partnership and a $225 million investment in Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI), a Utah-based company specializing in autonomous heavy machinery. The collaboration includes the formation of a separately capitalized joint venture dedicated to the development, manufacturing, and operational deployment of driverless construction vehicles.

The joint venture will focus on civil infrastructure projects, such as roads, airports, and railways, as well as waste management and earthmoving. A core component of the partnership is ASI’s Mobius platform, a software system designed to orchestrate and coordinate autonomous vehicle fleets. Notably, the Mobius software is OEM-agnostic, meaning it can manage a mixed fleet of machines from different manufacturers, allowing construction companies to automate existing equipment rather than being tied to a single provider.

This investment follows SoftBank’s recent interest in the autonomous construction sector, including a $200 million investment in Swiss startup Gravis Robotics in August.